So, I’m stuck at home because of a pandemic (which is something I never thought I’d write in my life) — so what am I doing? Baking and Cooking!
I have realized that getting up and getting to work takes a lot more energy than I think it does. Since we’ve been home (I’m working on day 10) I’ve started walking around the neighborhood with my wife and dog. I’ve done a ton of laundry and dishes — I’ve even picked a room once every few days and cleaned it like it has never been cleaned before (okay, so this is happening less than I’d like, but it IS happening).
I’ve also found a way to “get out” of the house virtually. I attended a virtual birthday, to which I brought gourmet Twinkie Cupcakes. I joined a D&D game, where I’ve got a rat pet and a pretty lethal sickle! I also watched a friend of mine make Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Risotto, which a) I wish I had recorded and b) I WILL get the recipe for and share it with you all.
I’ve also been cooking. My wife calls it #plaguebaking!
Something I made today was a little gem of a cake I found tucked in my mom’s stuff. I don’t EVER remember her making this, but it sounded so light and easy and — I dunno, comforting — that I had to make it. This is the kind of cake she would have liked, she didn’t care for icing/frosting very much, she was a cake-cake kinda woman.
A couple of tricks — Instead of just using grease on the pan, sprinkle a little sugar over the grease to give it a nice crisp edge underneath (to match the one on the top). Also, momma doesn’t say to make the butter room temp, but I’d do that. It makes the creaming get nice and fluffy. Please SIFT the flour!! It makes it much easier to mix. Also, this is super easy to cut in half, it makes a nice amount of cake!
Million Dollar Pound Cake
- 1 lb Butter (room temp)
- 3 cups Sugar
- 6 Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
- 4 cups Flour (sifted)
- ¾ cup Milk
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, until well blended. Add flour and milk. Mix until well blended — add vanilla and almond extracts. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes (I bumped the temp up to 350 for the last 20 minutes for a nice brown crust).
Enjoy!
And stay healthy and INSIDE…cooking is my suggestion.
